


Promise of Germany

by boneswrites



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Charles is adorable, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluffy, I suppose, M/M, and so are their dogs, cause like hot guys with dogs are my weakness, erik is new to the city, vet!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-03-20
Packaged: 2018-03-18 19:09:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3580662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneswrites/pseuds/boneswrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik decides to take his dog to the vet and conveniently passes the time in the waiting room chatting with a very attractive man that goes by the name of Charles. It ended up being more than what they bargained for; it wasn't just some chat to pass the time, something sparked between the two men, taking them both by surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promise of Germany

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I was going through different kinds of au's on tumblr and this one struck me because adorable! If the response for this is good and you guys enjoy it, I might write a second part. But yeah, not much more to say. Enjoy the fluff!

            It was the ideal weather for a New York City afternoon; the sun was shining high in the sky and there was a refreshing breeze moving throughout the city. All that being said, it was the perfect day to take your puppy to the vet. Unfortunately, being new to the city and all, Erik got lost more than a few times. When he finally read the sign, his face lightened up.

            “How about this, bud? We made it.” He said to his German shepherd puppy, who was standing on all four limbs next to him. Erik thought he saw him frown. It was a new vet, after all.

            Erik pushed the front door, and walked in. Hearing the bell chime, Moira MacTaggert looked up from the paperwork she was filling in and smiled as Erik approached.

            “Hi, how can I help you?” She asked.

            “Hi, I’m Erik Lehnsherr and I have an appointment for this little fella.” He explained, picking up the puppy from the ground.

            “Aw, what an angel.” Moira cooed once the puppy was in her line of sight. “Let me check the log.” She turned her attention back to the computer and with a few clicks she found out that yes, indeed, Erik does have an appointment, which he was early to. “You’re a tad early, Mr. Lehnsherr, but please, relax and I’ll let you know when it’s your turn.” Moira gestured to the seating area, where two other pet owners seemed to be passing the time by looking through animal magazines.

            “Thank you.” Erik nodded with a smile and walked over to the seating area, sinking into the seat as he let go of the leach, granting his puppy compete freedom to roam around.

            “You know,” The very attractive man sitting next to Erik spoke, “these magazines do nothing in education about pets.” The man closed the magazine in his hand.

            “Really, now?” Erik chuckled.

            “Absolutely.” The man nodded. “They’re just filled with cute animals.”

            “It passes the time.” Erik shrugged.

            “Painfully.” The man pretended to wince in pain. “But, yes, it does.” He extended his arm. “I’m Charles.” He smiled.

            Erik shook the extended hand and looked at the stranger. Just then, the ‘oh-my-god-his-eyes-are-so-blue-and-his-lips-are-rosy-I-should-stop-staring’ sensation took control of Erik before he came back to his right mindset and cleared his throat. “Erik.”

            “It’s your first time here?” Charles asked.

            “Yeah,” Erik nodded, “we got lost a few times before finally finding our way.” Erik chuckled. “Addresses are so weird here.”

            “You’re not a local, then?” Charles gathered.

            “Nope, flew in from Germany a few weeks ago. Still settling in.” Erik explained.

            “Germany?” Charles repeated. “I’ve never been, but it’s always been a dream of mine to visit.”

            “It’s absolutely breathtaking.” Erik smiled.

            “I bet it is.” Charles agreed.

            “Maybe I can make that dream a reality.” Erik smirked.

            “Yeah, maybe.”

            Erik thought he saw Charles blush a little. After all, he is so not joking about the offer.

            Just when both men fell into silence, a gorgeous white husky strode into the picture, settling down next to Charles’s feet.

            “Oh, who’s this beauty?” Erik marveled.

            “This is Snowy.” Charles announced proudly, as he ran his hand between her eyes. “Up.” He tapped his tights with his hands, as she quickly hopped on.

            “Hi.” Erik smiled as he extended his hand and touched her between her ears, her tail started to wiggle with happiness.

            “Look at that, she likes you.” Charles teased, as he moved his hand up and down the dog’s fur, his hand touching Erik’s briefly.

            Erik chuckled and the faint color of blushing red flushed his cheeks. “The feeling is mutual.”

            “Where’s your other half?” Charles asked, after noticing the absence of Erik’s pet.

            “Around here somewhere.” Erik bated his eyes around for a few seconds before a small whistle escaped his lips. A few seconds later, a trotting puppy emerged from behind one of the shelf compartments in the far end of the room. “There he is.” Erik laughed as he picked him into his lap. “This is Bones, and he likes to explore.” He introduced.

            “My god, you’re a handsome little fellow, aren’t you?” Charles gazed at the German shepherd, as the dog’s ears stood, his tail wiggled with joy and his tiny tongue hung from his mouth.

            “Just like his best friend.” Erik joked.

            “That’s true.” Charles nodded, as Erik’s smile grew wider.

            “What do you do, Erik?” Charles asked.

            And my god if that wasn’t the most beautiful pronunciation of his name Erik has ever heard.

            “I’m a businessman.” Erik replied before Charles could sense Erik’s complete and utter meltdown. “That’s actually the reason I came here, my father wanted to launch another branch abroad. After we decided where it would be, what’s better than sending your son to be in charge?”

            “You don’t like it?” Charles frowned.

            “No, no, I do. I picked it. I wasn’t forced by my father or anything. But I think I did it partially for him. My father…” Erik sighed, “my father is a hard man, he has been for a long, long time. But he wasn’t always like that.” Erik stared into the void for a few seconds, Charles knew better than to interrupt. “We lost my mother during the Holocaust.” Erik continued, not blinking. “Sometimes I remember that it went by so quickly, other times so slowly. He was softer before that, calmer, brighter but after that, he built a wall and all those things I loved about him disappeared. He was darker, I mean, he was caught up in what was happening to himself that he barely noticed what was happening to me. I knew that if I had stayed with him it would’ve killed me, so I ran away.” Erik moved his head towards Charles and saw a mirror of his own eyes. Charles’s eyes filled with pain and concern. It was like Charles could somehow reach into Erik’s mind and share those memories with him.

            “I was gone for three years. I don’t know if he tried to find me or tried to contact me, I wanted nothing to do with him. But then it hit me. I mean, my mother was killed and he couldn’t do anything about it. Wasn’t he acting like anyone who would be grieving would act? Someone who felt guilty? And I think he did feel guilty, guilty that he couldn’t protect her. A few days later, I went back. He wasn’t angry, he held me and he cried. He just kept repeating, _Gott sei Dank sind sie wieder, Gott sei Dank bist du sicher._ Thank god you're back, thank god you're safe. From then on, we both started to work on our relationship and soon enough we started working on the company.” Erik wiped a few tears that stained his cheeks.

            Charles remained silent for a minute or two, absorbing what Erik had just lifted off his chest. He watched as his own arm moved towards Erik’s arched back, his hand landed gently just under Erik’s shoulder. Charles stiffened, frightened from Erik’s reaction. After a few seconds, Erik seemed to have relaxed into the touch. Just as Charles was about to start talking, words escaped from Erik’s lips.

            “I’m sorry,” Erik rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you.”

            “No, no, it’s good to open up to someone about it.” Charles shook his head.

            “Yeah, I guess.” Erik nodded. “I never really had time to express all that, I tried to bury it, but I guess nothing gets buried forever.” Erik sighed.

            “It’s not healthy to bury things that are resting on your heart that way.” Charles moved his hand and gripped Erik’s shoulder tightly. Erik gave him a small smile.

            “I’m glad I exploded in front of you. There’s something about you, you’re golden.” Erik flashed a full smile.

            This time, Charles full on blushed.

            “So, what do you do, Charles?” Erik asked.

            “I’m a professor.” Charles said proudly.

            “Really?” Erik raised his eyebrows in surprise.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” Charles playfully slapped Erik’s arm.

            “Nothing,” Erik shrugged. “You just don’t see like the professor type.”

            “What _type_ do I look like then, if you don’t mind enlightening me?” Charles pretended to pout.

            “You don’t want an answer.” Erik laughed.

            “Ugh, jerk.” Charles joined in Erik’s laughter.

            “What do your students call you?”

            “You’re going to laugh, so I shall not tell you that, my friend.” Charles teased.

            “I won’t laugh, I promise.” Erik rose his hands in defense. “I’ll try.” He whispered.

            “I heard that.” Charles’s widened his eyes.

            “Oh, come on!” Erik gave Charles the puppy dog eyes.

            “Only for those eyes, I will.” Charles took a deep breath. “Professor X.” Charles cringed, waiting for the laughter, but it never came.

            “I like it.” Erik smirked.

            “Thank god for that.” Charles pretended to roll his eyes and then a small laugh escaped his rosy lips.

            “Any childhood dream jobs?” Charles asked, as he licked his lips.

            Erik was too distracted to answer, mirroring the action. Charles seemed to notice but also seemed to enjoy watching Erik.

            “Um, yeah, actually.” Erik nodded after coming back to his senses, too soon in his opinion. “I always dreamed about being a superhero.”

            “Isn’t that every kid’s dream?” Charles stuck his tongue out at Erik.

            “ _But_ ,” Erik pressed, “does this superhero have metal manipulation powers?” Erik raised his eyebrow.

            “That’s new.” Charles nodded. “Does this superhero happen to have a name?”

            “Magneto.” Erik said proudly.

            “You just add an ‘o’ to ‘magnet’.” Charles chuckled.

            “Hey, I was five!” Erik defended.

            “It’s cute, I’ll give you that.” Charles winked.

            “Thank you.” Erik bowed his head a little. “What about you?”

            “Same as you, my father is a businessman but growing up, I never shared his passion for the business world. No offence to you, but I have always felt like it is a game and a game I would not like to play.” Charles answered.

            “No offence taken,” Erik shook his head, “and you’re quite right about that—it is a game.”

            “I guess I am not the person to rely on luck, you can lose everything in a glimpse, yes?”

            Erik nodded.

            “So instead of following in his tracks, and much to my father’s dismay, I went on and attended university, graduating with a degree in Genetics.” Charles gave Erik a small, proud smile.

            “Genetics?”

            “Genetics,” Charles confirmed. “Your genes make you who you are—they are code for how you look and your heritage can be traced through your DNA to match with your parents and grandparents and so on, but do your genes really define who you are? Growing up, I always felt like I did not quite belong amongst my family. They all fit together so well, and I always felt like I was the piece of the puzzle that did not fit. Since a young age, the idea of where we come from has always interested me, and that’s my story.”

            “And what did you find?”

            “You make up who you are, you are not defined by who your parents are. It’s all in your hands, my friend.” Charles smiled.

            “Here, here.” Erik agreed.  

            “Unfortunately, my father did not agree with that and it set us further apart.” Charles’s voice darkened.

            “At least you’re doing what you love.” Erik gave Charles a small nude in hopes of lighting up the mood.

            “Yes, I am.” A small smile crept on Charles’s lips. “I cannot say the same for my student, however.”

            “Of course not.” Erik chuckled.

            Just as Charles was about to tell Erik that he would like to see him again, Moira walked towards them. “Charles, we’re ready for you.” She smiled.

            Charles looked up at her and nodded. “Of course.” He looked at Erik for a few seconds before speaking. “I’ll tell you all about them later.” He promised and got up, seeing that Snowy had already followed Moira into the vet’s office, he casually followed.

            Erik kept watching the door where Charles disappeared through and even smiled at Moira when she walked out. Still wearing a goofy smile and red stained cheeks, he grabbed the same magazine Charles was reading before their encounter.

            _He wants to see me again,_ Erik thought. Somehow, his smile grew wider.


End file.
